


disappearing act

by eggstasy



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: End of the World, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-03
Updated: 2016-02-03
Packaged: 2018-05-18 02:34:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5894707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eggstasy/pseuds/eggstasy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eighty percent of the world’s population vanishes in the space between seconds.  Billions of people go missing and families are torn apart as civilizations collapse beneath the feet of those who remain.  To continue hanging onto past regrets and disappointments in the face of such tragedy would be petty beyond belief.</p><p>Tsukishima Kei has been known to be pretty fucking petty though. </p><p>[ON HOLD, please see notes!]</p>
            </blockquote>





	disappearing act

**Author's Note:**

> THIS STORY IS ON HOLD! After a few rereads and canon reviews, I have come to the conclusion that my characterization for this story is wayyy off! I'm going to revise and see what can be done with this. Thanks to everybody who read it! I hope to improve it!

Tsukishima Kei wakes up.

There’s no sound, at first.  The absence of it is deafening like a scream, a piercing shriek as he just tries to remember where he is and what he was doing.  The ground under his cheek is cool and smooth.  He can feel his fingers, he’s pretty sure he can feel his toes.  There’s fire somewhere because he can see the light of it, and when he reaches up to his head there’s sharp bits in his hair.

His glasses are unbroken.  Akiteru really did buy him the good shit.

When he looks up, Tsukishima wonders if he’d been moved.  Maybe kidnapped.  The room he’s in doesn’t look anything like the inside of the gym where they’d been playing; there’s too much dust, too much fire, too much debris.  Half of the stands are collapsed under something huge and white.  The court behind the net is missing because there’s now parts of a building on top of it.  This can’t be right.  This isn’t what a gym looks like.

_-ima_

It’s taking him so long to get just up onto his knees.  It never takes him this long to get back up.  He’s hardly ever on the ground for receiving anyway; his receives still suck and he’s always up at the net anyway, goading the enemy setter, depriving sweet satisfaction from that pissed-off look on the spiker’s face when their intended ball slams into the ground behind them.  Those total blockouts are rare with skilled opponents.  Tsukki savors them like candy.

_-kishima_

The ringing in is ears is fading but the room still doesn’t sound right.  There’s too much quiet.  It sinks into Tsukishima like a heavy mist, seeps through his clothes and into his bones and it hits him that the gym, _oh god the gym blew up._

“Tsukishima!  Tsukishima are you okay?!” 

Tsukishima’s head snaps around and he sees there, crouched by him, Noya.  Noya who has been trying to get his attention for probably a while, a hand on his shoulder.

“Shit,” says Noya, “you’re bleeding.  Your head’s bleeding.”

Tsukishima reaches up to check.  So it is.

“Stay put, don’t move.  I’m gonna get Coach Ukai.”

Tsukishima wants to laugh as Noya sprints away.  _Go get Coach Ukai._   Like all he took was a spike to the face instead of a building to the skull.  He glances at the other side of the court, the buried side and the urge to laugh disappears.  The other team is under all of that.

“Tsukishima.”  Ukai is right there and he’s grabbing Tsukishima’s head, which he hates.  He hates being touched but he’ll allow it, this time, because it’s probably more important to make sure his brain isn’t leaking out.  He’s got a good view of Ukai’s arms from here and he can see blood there too, from gashes and burns.  “I think you’re okay to move,” Ukai says from above him.  Tsukishima does not agree but he’s tired of being fiddled with like a child so he pulls away and stands up, even though Noya is shifting his weight nearby like _he’s_ going to carry him off the court.

“What happened,” Tsukishima demands.  It doesn’t sound as forceful as he’d have liked.  He sounds unsteady and weak.

“Let’s get everyone to safety first,” Ukai says and turns away.

Tsukishima follows him numbly and notices the emptiness of the undamaged sections of the gym.  He must’ve been one of the last found.  Or one of the few who survived, with everyone else crushed underneath the rubble.  He doesn’t see Yachi or Akiteru or Saeko up in the stands, he doesn’t see any of his teammates or Takeda on the sidelines.  There’s a ref holding the hand of someone motionless on the ground.  There’s blood everywhere.

Noya’s hands are there when Tsukishima staggers.  Tsukishima doesn’t thank him when he straightens back upright.

It’s not until they’re crawling underneath downed support beams and slabs of concrete that Tsukishima realizes with a sudden horrible fascination that the great big white thing in the stands is part of a commercial jet.  “Did a plane fly into the gym?” he asks numbly.

“Yeah,” answers Noya.

Outside looks no better.  It’s wider and open and he can see some of their uniforms huddled together nearby but there are no emergency crews, no television stations.  There are no parents screaming and clamoring for their children, no cars screeching up, nothing, nothing.  Nobody taking care of things.  Nobody to help.

“ _Tsukki!_ ”

Yamaguchi is there suddenly and Tsukishima is relieved, so relieved he forgets to hide it but then he’s being hugged and he shoves Yamaguchi, turns away, doubles over and throws up.  He hears the sick _splat_ of vomit hitting the concrete and Yamaguchi sinks down with him as he crouches, arms around his gut as he gags again.  His head is swimming and pounding.  He pukes until he spits and then there’s a water bottle in front of him.  He glances up.

Yachi, looking pale and small with her arm in a sling.

“Thanks,” he rasps and takes it from her.

“Tsukki,” Yamaguchi says again, his hand on Tsukishima’s back.  “Your brother’s okay.  He hurt his leg so he’s having trouble walking but he’s okay.  He’s over by the bus.”

“Shut up Yamaguchi,” Tsukishima says, voice trembling as he sips the water bottle.  Yamaguchi’s hand clenches in the back of Tsukishima’s uniform because he knows, of course he knows.  Tsukishima doesn’t know when he allowed someone to figure so much of him out.

The group he’d seen in the distance was Asahi, Tanaka and Hinata.  Hinata is largely unhurt, like Noya, but Tanaka and Asahi are both bleeding and have scrapes and bruises and Tanaka walks with a limp as they head back toward the bus.

“You found Tsukishima,” Daichi says when they approach, obviously relieved.  He’s tired and stretched out on the ground, half in Suga’s lap and he looks like he could be dying.  Tsukishima wonders briefly if he is, but then figures everyone would be a lot more panicked if that were the case.

Tsukishima takes stock of his team.  He saw most of them on the way over.  Kageyama is helping Shimizu pull their bags from the storage compartments.  Narita and Kinoshita are leaning against the bus, heads down.  Tsukishima looks over his shoulder at Ukai, since joined by Takeda.  “Where’s Ennoshita?” 

Nobody answers him, and he knows.

“ _Kei._ ”  Akiteru comes stumbling off of the bus, hopping on one leg with Saeko thundering after him and grabbing onto his arm to steady him.  She at least doesn’t stop him from making an unsteady beeline for his little brother.  “Are you all right?  _Shit,_ there’s blood all in your hair-”

“He’s all right,” Ukai calls from the head of the bus, “but we’ll keep an eye on him just in case.”

Tsukishima hates all of this fawning.  Daichi is too hurt to stand, Akiteru’s leg is bloodied and wrapped up, Yachi’s arm is in a sling, everybody else looks exhausted and Ennoshita-

He jerks away from Akiteru’s worried hands, paces a few aimless feet until he finds a spot on the grass to sit down on, head in his hands.  He hears Akiteru say something like, “It’s okay, he just needs space,” and if he didn’t _want_ to be ignored he’d snap at Akiteru for talking about him like he’s not there.

Yamaguchi at least knows him better.  He doesn’t come by to sit with Tsukishima and for a few blessed moments, there is quiet and time to sit and cradle his aching head and think.

A plane fell onto the gym.  There are no emergency crews.  People _died_ inside there, people he knows.  Knew.  Nobody’s parents have come looking for them.  The complex is strangely deserted for how many teams were supposed to be playing today.  The only people he’s seen that weren’t with his team were that one referee inside and the person lying on the floor, presumably dying.  Everyone else is either crushed or gone.

Tsukishima blows out a breath and slowly rakes his fingers through his hair, careful of the bump.  Little bits of stone and glass bite at his fingers and he scratches at his scalp, trying to get it all out.  There’s no reason why Takeda wouldn’t have already gotten medical attention for everyone if he could.  Either the phone networks are down or there’s some other reason why nobody is picking up.

“What _happened?_ ” he asks hoarsely, head down, because he knows that even if Yamaguchi and his brother didn’t come sit with him, one of them will be nearby. 

Yamaguchi sounds lost when he answers, “Nobody knows.”

 

* * *

 

They decide to spend the night there.  When hours pass and the sun begins to set, and still there are no ambulances or squad cars out front, Ukai makes the executive decision that they’re sleeping on the bus to regain their strength, he’ll find some food for them in the morning and they’ll start driving.

Tsukishima finds out that Daichi was on the ground because he has a hideous bruise that stretches from his hip to his armpit.  “He pushed Asahi out of the way,” Suga says to Tsukishima as they watch Ukai and Takeda gingerly press against Daichi’s torso, checking his ribs.  Suga’s knuckles are white around the legs of his jersey.  “I saw it.  If he was even a little bit further to the left he’d've-"

Tsukishima doesn’t say anything when Suga bites his lip and looks down.  The distance between upper- and lowerclassmen has never felt so small.  None of them know what they’re doing.  He even catches Saeko and Akiteru looking lost, sees snatches of Ukai gazing blankly around them.  Nobody knows what to do.  Maybe the others don’t realize it yet but Tsukishima knows.  Adults are just better at pretending to know what to do.  Most of them don’t have any ideas better than kids.

“I’m thirsty,” Tsukishima says, and leaves.

 

* * *

 

“Absolutely not,” says Takeda when Tsukishima tells him he wants to go inside and look for a vending machine to break into.  “Most of the building is unstable, it could come down right on top of you.”

“Then I’ll just go where it’s stable.”

“No, Tsukishima.”  Takeda never sounds like a teacher until he _does_.  Even an entire foot shorter than Tsukishima, he looks firm and imposing.  Unshakable.

Tsukishima has a sudden thought, dizzying in its freedom, that if the world is ending then Takeda isn’t his teacher anymore and he doesn’t have the authority to tell him what to do.  He can literally do whatever he wants.  So against Takeda’s startled protests, Tsukishima turns on his heel and heads for the main gymnasium.  There should be vending machines by all of the entrances, he won’t have to go far.  Takeda grabs Tsukishima’s arm and Tsukishima, without looking, snatches it away and starts for the doors.  He hears Takeda calling after him, then calling for Asahi but he doesn’t care.

Asahi is right behind him as he goes through the doors and he doesn’t say anything, though he feels a little better.  Which is stupid.  He and Asahi have barely spoken to each other the entire time they’ve been on the team.  They barely speak now, so he supposes it’s just more of the same.

There’s a vending machine selling sports drinks just inside the lobby hallway.  Tsukishima searches for the lock on the side; they’re the old kind so if they just bust the lock, they should be able to open the whole front panel and take what they want.  Tsukishima picks up a chunk of concrete and starts bashing at it.  Asahi winces at the sound and glances around them nervously.

“If you don’t want to help with this part, go get something to carry these with,” Tsukishima grunts.  The distance between first and third years shrinks further when Asahi actually does what he says.  They’re all equally scared and fucked.  Two years’ difference is nothing.

Asahi comes back with their banner, of all things, but Tsukishima hasn’t made any progress on the lock.  He slams the concrete into it with increasing frustration, feeling his eyes burning with it.  He vaults to his feet and kicks the machine, turning away and trying to slow his breath down.  He is _not_ going to panic.  He’s going to keep his shit together.  He’s going to keep a cool head.

A loud _bang_ makes him jump and Tsukishima whips around to see Asahi taking a fire extinguisher to the lock.  It only takes three tries before the lock pops open with a crack.  “Got it,” he calls unnecessarily, and he wrenches the door open to start plucking drinks from inside. 

He holds out a red one.  Tsukishima takes it.  Strawberry.

“That’s your favorite, right?”  Asahi goes back to dumping sports drinks onto their overturned FLY banner.  Tsukishima shifts his weight and watches how the ‘3’ on Asahi’s back stretches and shrinks with every movement.

They lug the banner back together.

 

* * *

 

Tsukishima comes to the decision shortly thereafter that in order to stave off a mental breakdown, he’s going to have to make himself useful.  This of course means putting effort into something he doesn’t want to do, but since the alternative is assuming the fetal position and crying into his knees (which he _absolutely_ will not do) he doesn’t have much of a choice.

He starts by passing out drinks.  It’s small.  It’s easy.

The wounded are first.  “It’s better than water,” Tsukishima says flatly as he holds out a drink for Daichi, who he wishes would stop staring and take the goddamn thing already.  “It’ll hurt less to throw this up than to throw up food.  Drink it.”  Daichi finally takes it and Tsukishima moves on.

Yachi, who is dozing on the bus, gets the next one.

Akiteru is next.  He tries to get up and Tsukishima shoves him back into the bus seat.  “Stop,” he says when his brother tries to fuss.  “Yes, I’ll drink one.  You’re pissing me off.”

The laugh his brother gives him also pisses him off, but at least Akiteru seems satisfied.  “You need to rest too.  You have a concussion.”

Tsukishima ignores him and passes a bottle over to Shimizu.

Once everyone has been given a drink Tsukishima sits down with his own and cracks it open.  The sun is sinking past the buildings on the horizon and he watches it go when it hits him suddenly what, exactly, is off about this picture beyond the obvious downed-plane situation.

The streetlights aren’t coming on.

Tsukishima sniffs and sips his drink.  So the city’s power grid is down.  It’s safe to assume that the back roads might be traversable, but not in a gigantic bus.  And the busier streets nearby are going to be full of accidents and stranded vehicles unless someone is directing traffic.  Which, judging by the lack of emergency personnel here, is not likely.

He finds Ukai.  “We’re not going to be able to drive out of here.”

Ukai gives him this look that Tsukishima’s never seen on his face before.  “We have to try.  You kids need a hospital.”

Tsukishima nods toward the street.  “Where’s the emergency crews then?  There must be a reason why they aren’t here.”

Takeda appears at Ukai’s elbow, wiping his glasses on his shirt the best he can.  “Even if you’re right,” he says, like he knows Tsukishima is probably right but still going for plausible deniability, “we still need to check.  Someone will need to try and walk there.”

“I can go,” Ukai says wearily.  “You need to stay here with your students.”

“I want to go,” says Tsukishima, though he knows what the response will be.

“No.”  Takeda says it in that firm voice again and again, Tsukishima feels the defiance flare back up.  “Tsukishima, I know you don’t want to just sit around but you very likely have a concussion.  The less moving around you do, the better.”  Takeda’s expression softens.  “And think of your brother.  You’ve hardly spoken to him; don’t you think he’s getting worried?”

“No I don’t,” says Tsukishima when he really means to say ‘I don’t care.’  He’s sure his tone would sound the same either way.

“I want to go!”

The three of them turn to see Hinata clutching at his shirt.

“If something happens, I’ll just run,” Hinata swears when he sees Takeda open his mouth.  “I can’t sit around-  My mom and my sister,” he continues, pained, and Tsukishima hates him for bringing up what everyone else is thinking.

_What about our families?_

“If Hinata is going then I’m going,” Kageyama shouts from over by the bus.  Noya leaps to his feet, outraged and ready to yell.

“ _Nobody_ is going!” Ukai roars and makes everyone jump.  Akiteru’s head pops up from one of the bus windows.

The silence that follows is almost deafening.  Ukai is pinching the bridge of his nose and Tsukishima, against his will, feels the gap between adult and child get smaller, too.  “Nobody,” Ukai says lowly, “is going with me.  Me and Takeda are responsible for you.  If you want to really help your families, _stay put_ and stay safe.  Got it?”

Nobody speaks, not even Daichi.  The threat of mutiny hangs in the air.

“Well, _I’m_ going.”  Saeko descends from the bus like a war god, a fist on her hip.  “Not the boss of _me,_ are ya?  I’ll go with him, guys.  We’ll check things out and come back.”  Tanaka makes an upset sound beside her and Saeko turns with a grin, scrubbing her hand roughly over his scalp.  “Promise.  Right back.”

Nobody can come up with a reason why she shouldn’t.  Takeda sends them off with their only flashlight and ushers the rest of the team onto the bus.  They pull the door closed and huddle down with emergency blankets and jersey tops.

Tsukishima waits for the silence of sleep before getting up and moving over to Akiteru.  He slumps down next to his brother, closes his eyes, and knows nothing more.


End file.
